All Falls Down
by Wild Angel Billie
Summary: He wanted one more mission. If they had only known how it would end... Squinoa, Selvine, Seiftis
1. Act I

A/N: I know that my current fic I'm workin' on isn't exactly the best one in the world, so I've begun construction, rather, I've continued construction on an old creation of mine. This one isn't being written as I go like my other one. This one is pre-written. Enjoy guys!!  
  
All Falls Down  
~Billie the Kid~  
  
Act I  
  
Rinoa stood on the balcony where she and Squall first kissed. She especially liked to go there on rainy nights at sea like on that day, which was where the now mobile Garden was most of the time. Best of all, only she and Squall held keys to the ballroom so no one else could get in. It was their secret spot where only those walls witnessed many long, passionate kisses and whatever scenery surrounded them.  
  
Rinoa looked over the pitch black, starless sky down to the ocean that perfectly mirrored the sky. It sat almost perfectly still oblivious to the ominous clouds overhead.  
  
"I figured you were here," Squall's deep voice aroused Rinoa from her thoughts of the sea and sky. His strong arms wrapped around her waist protectively as he spoke.  
  
She turned in his arms and placed her own around his neck as rain began to pour from the clouds above. She smiled warmly and replied," Hi Squall."  
  
Brushing a few wet bangs away from her face, he replied," Hi Rinoa." A smile crept across his face and once it was fully there, it made his whole face shine.  
  
Rinoa was once again reminded why she loved him. It had been almost a year since Ultimeica and the six friends had been closer than ever. After the months on months of publicity, fancy award ceremonies, and banquets in their honor, it had all finally died down. They were all glad that they were finally being left alone, left alone and were able to get on with their lives away from the public's eye. They were all still at Garden, went on the occasional mission to keep their bills paid. They were getting back into a normal routine with a new SeeD in their midst. Rinoa had passed with flying colors and wore her uniform proudly.  
  
She pressed her cheek against his leather jacket, now wet from the rain and twirled his necklace between her fingers. Squall tilted his head back, allowing the rain to drench his face as lightning flashed and thunder rolled. Rain continued to fall as Squall looked down at Rinoa and lifted her chin with his forefinger and his thumb, pressing her lips to his gently. Rinoa let go of his necklace and replaced her arms around his neck. The kiss grew more passionate and deep with each passing second. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed as Squall's hand slid cautiously under Rinoa's black tank top, his fingers gingerly tracing her spine. Their breaths became heavier and more frequent. Lightning struck the water again from a high cloud and thunder rolled instantly after.  
  
Squall broke their kiss. "Next mission, let's get out of here," he said with what sounded to be a tone of pleading in his voice as he pressed his forehead to hers.  
  
She smiled, with a slightly confused look," Why the sudden urge to leave?"  
  
Squall's rare smile crept back across his face," Come with me."  
  
Rinoa nodded, still smiling," Tally-ho."  
  
The pair walked across the empty ballroom, their clothes sloshing slightly, and took the elevator to the first floor. The hallway to the dorms was completely bare of anyone. The two walked hand-in-hand, shoulder-to- shoulder to Squall's dorm.  
  
**--^^--**  
  
Squall allowed Rinoa to enter the darkened room. She sat on top of his computer desk allowing her legs to dangle over the edge. He locked the door behind him, walked over to her, and turned on a lamp behind her.  
  
Rinoa looked at him with her head cocked to the side, smiling curiously," Okay, now what?"  
  
Squall put his hands in his jackets pockets and he slipped off his boots, smiling the whole time. He looked up and stood right before her, revealing a dark blue velvet ring box from his jacket pocket.  
  
"Squall...?" her curiosity was quickly becoming a mixture of fear and joy.  
  
"Cid's rules about Garden's occupants having relationships with one another are that they can date, or 'see each other' as he calls it, but no more than that. Two SeeDs can't get married while under Garden's employment," Squall opened the ring box that he had been twirling between his fingers to reveal a ring with a sparkling diamond sitting proudly in the middle of the silver band. Tears slipped down Rinoa's cheeks. "So, let's get out of Garden and get married."  
  
Rinoa smiled through her tears," Squall Leonhart, are you proposing?"  
  
Squall smiled and chuckled," I'm still processing it. It seems like a dream but I know it's real. We're real. I love you, Rin, more than you'll ever know. Will you marry me?" Everything that he had believed in was screaming for him to stop, that she would disappear in the end too. But he held his gaze into Rinoa's eyes as she nodded.  
  
"I wouldn't have it any other way," with that she threw her arms around his neck.  
  
He hugged her back and sighed with relief, silently thanking Hyne that she'd said yes. She sat back and he placed the ring gently on her finger. "Next mission, we get the hell out," he said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.  
  
*** Notice!! The 2nd part of this gets saucy. Non-Squinoa fans, if you ain't turned back yet, best do it now! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! ***  
  
She nodded and kissed him deeply, slipping her shoes off using her own feet and sliding her hands down the arms of Squall's jacket, it fell to the floor quietly. He slid off of the computer desk and pinched his muscle shirt and pulled him towards the bed. He broke the kiss to smile and kissed her again. She smiled as he crawled across her on the bed.  
  
"Well, here's one more for our list of broken rules," Rinoa mused softly, giggling childishly.  
  
Squall laughed as he softly kissed her neck.  
  
Rinoa laughed softly and pulled off his still wet shirt, revealing a lean, muscular chest and stomach. She dropped it onto the floor and kissed his chest and trailed back up his neck to his lips once again. Squall's hands slowly moved up along side her black tank top, taking it off it fell to the floor next to his muscle shirt. His kisses began to trail downwards from her neck to her chest, where Squall had somehow undone Rinoa's bra and it hung loosely on her, as Rinoa began to undo his belts. She undid them both and they hung loose from his waist, along with his unbuttoned pants. He pulled the comforter and sheets over them with a small laugh from Rinoa.  
  
Meh (again) : ...and that's the end of this chapter!! :: laughs :: Come on, you didn't think I would go any further than THAT would you?! (He he...) Anyway, R&R. The 2nd chapter is getting ready to be typed up so peas lemme know what you think!! I think everyone will really like where this goes if they give this fic a chance!! 


	2. Act II

A/N: Okay, it's been a month and boy, can things change in a month! Aiight, here's the next act in my play... (I guess you could call it that.)

Act II

Rinoa's eyes fluttered open to the sound of lightning cracking loudly followed by a boom of thunder that shook the room. She smiled as she remembered the night before and felt the weight of Squall's arm draped across her waist. She turned over and found Squall smiling at her.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked with a smile and a yawn.

"Ten, fifteen minutes," he replied.

She kissed him softly and put her hand to his cheek, catching a glimpse of the ring on her finger. She broke the kiss, smiling," You really did propose."

He laughed and placed his hand on hers and sighed, closing his eyes," It took me days to get up the nerve. I didn't I'd be able to but the timing just felt right so, I went for it."

She kissed him again," I love you, Squall."

"I love you too, Rin."

"Explain one thing."

"Lemme guess, why we have to leave?"

Rinoa nodded," This is all you've ever known."

"I know," he sighed and took his hand from hers, running a hand through his hair," I must've talked to Cid fifty times, trying to let him make an exception but you know how he is about rules."

"You're Commander, can't you...?"

Squall shook his head, laughing slightly," I've tried and no matter what angle I took it from, it always came down to Garden or you."

Rinoa's face fell slightly," But Squall..."

He shook his head," Rin, think of it this way. We need to get out of here. If we don't do it now, then when? Are we gonna stay here forever or are we gonna move on and start a family on our own?"

Rinoa's face lit up again as she smiled," So, Cid knows you proposed, who else?"

"Well, they know I planned on proposing but they didn't know when. So, they don't really know I proposed."

"I take it 'they' equals Selphie, Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Dee, and Seifer. Am I right?" Rinoa implied.

Squall nodded," Quistis, Selphie, and Dee helped pick out the ring. Seifer, Zell, and Irvine were there for moral support."

_Seifer..._ she thought. He was considered part of their group now, just short of a year and a half after Ultimecia incident and Seifer was allowed back into Garden, then he started dating Quistis. A pair no one expected. They eventually got along, even though they argued constantly. "What do they think of us leaving?"

"They said we deserve this. That I needed to get out of here and that they find us one day," he replied softly.

"So, we're really gonna do this? I'm not dreaming?"

"I can't believe it either... Well, I have to find a mission for us to do and we'll leave."

"Why on a mission?" Rinoa asked. Bet it has something to do with Garden...

Squall sat up," Because it's recorded as Missing in Action and Garden doesn't catch hell and hopefully they won't come looking for us." He kissed her forehead and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

_But you're the Commander..._ Rinoa shook her head and decided that this was all Squall. Squall was the mastermind and she would help if he asked her but she would let him do this. She nodded to herself simply and smiled. _I'm getting married!_

Rinoa slipped back to her dorm and Squall took a shower and went to his office. Two steps from the elevator, Irvine and Seifer stepped up behind him. The three faced the doors and they slowly closed.

They were all silent and Seifer and Irvine couldn't read Squall's expression. Squall was smiling mentally but had he usual emotionless face. "Can I help you two?"

"Where were you last night?" Seifer asked smirking.

"My dorm-"

Irvine leapt forward and pressed the 'Emergency Stop' button and the elevator jerked to a halt. Squall looked at him, shocked," What the-"

"COME ON! Did you propose or not!" he asked impatiently, staring him dead in the eye.

Squall stared back at him, unblinking," What're you talking about?"

Seifer rolled his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. "He'll never tell us this way."

Squall simply stared back at Irvine; the two hadn't looked away yet. Irvine finally gave up and Squall sighed to himself, a smile had begun to tug at the corners of his mouth and even the years of hiding emotion couldn't fight it.

"Then how are we gonna find out!" Irvine demanded.

"Save yourselves the trouble of thinking," Squall pressed the 'resume' button by the 'Emergency Stop' button. "I asked her."

The pair looked at him wide eyed as Squall stared at the elevator doors. None of them spoke as the doors opened to reveal the doors to Squall's office. He didn't look back at them. He stepped off the elevator, pushing the first floor button as he left," I'm getting married."

_I'm getting married..._

So, I'm back bitches! What up, guys! The 3rd chapter will be here before you can think fast and I'm here to stay, guys! I can definitely say that my updates will be A LOT more often than they have been! Will you guys ever forgive me: gets on her knees and begs with puppy dogs eyes : Does this help? (> ")> (> ")> DANCE KIRBY DANCE!


	3. Act III

A/N: Wow, it's been a while since I've posted a chapter… I can only hope that my old fans are still around and I get _loads_ of new ones! I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter and don't worry, I'm back! I'll update before long, you've got my solemnly-swear promise! 'Kay, peeps? Hold on to your butts 'cause here is the third act in the story I so affectionately call, 'All Falls Down'.

End Author's Note

Disclaimer: Only the idea is mine. And Dee, Zell's girlfriend, the library girl, she's mine too. Btw, Dee is a shortened version of my great-grandmother's name, Deette. (D-ette) It's not exactly worldly and glamorous but Dee is named for her. She was a wonderful woman, she was also a writer and a beautician. She was born in 1919 and made it all the way to 2001 when she died on her birthday, January 1st. We all miss her and hope she is happy where she is and know she looks down on us with her always loving smile. We love you, Memaw.

…..tear….

_**Act III**_

"Hey, did you hear about what happened in the training center last night?" Selphie asked, taking another heaping spoonful of yogurt from the container she was holding.

"No, what happened?" Dee asked, wide eyed.

"Oh! Are you talking about those two guys who tried to spend the night in there because of a dare?" Quistis asked, looking around Dee at Selphie.

Selphie nodded but had a mouthful of yogurt so couldn't tell the story any further and nodded to Quistis to tell Dee.

Quistis looked back to Dee as the three continued down the dormitory hall that housed the SeeDs. The dorms here were larger, most equipped with a small kitchen, living room, and its own bathroom. "Ok, two guys get together and decide to impress the ladies."

"Oh boy, this sounds fun already," Dee said with a smile.

"It gets better. They think that they're strong enough to spend the night in the training center. Well, long story short, a T-Rexaur got a little too curious and when said girls went looking for their "strong men" a few hours later, they found two sleeping bags torn to bits and no guys. They looked a little harder and found them bare-ass naked in the brush. It seemed that the T-Rexaur had tried to eat them and had got their clothes instead and the guys were too scared to leave," Quistis explained.

Dee shook her head," That's horrible. They weren't hurt were they?"

Selphie shook her head," Nah, they were fine. They won't go to the training center anymore though."

"You know, its stupid guys like that that makes me happy I have a good one," Dee sighed dreamily.

Selphie grinned and stirred her yogurt," Yeah, I know."

They stopped at Rinoa's dorm and knocked loudly," Hey, Rin! Rise and shine sleeping beauty! Food calls!" The trio heard movement within the room and the bolt being pulled back. The door opened to a rather ecstatic looking Rinoa.

"Wow, Rin, didn't know you were such a morning person," Selphie said, cocking her head to the side.

Rinoa opened the door fully and let them pass. The three entered, slightly puzzled. She closed the door behind them and Quistis moaned," C'mon Rin, Selphie's hungry."

Selphie stopped mid-bite and nodded feverishly," Starving." She finished her bite and scraped the sides of the container for every last bit she could manage.

"Oh well, we can go eat. I just thought you guys would wanna know that Squall proposed last night," Rinoa said with a passive tone and a heartfelt smile.

Selphie dropped the yogurt she had been so deeply devoted to and before Rinoa could think, she was trapped in a group hug. "I thought he'd never ask!" she squealed delightfully.

"So, how'd he do it! Was it romantic or was it all business like, 'Rinoa," Quistis got down on one knee in front of Rinoa who had too excited friends hanging from either arm, " to heighten my chances of having children before I die, will you please marry me?"

Rinoa laughed, not only because the mono-toned voice sounded just like the pre-Ultimecia Squall would have, but it was funny to see Quistis kneeling like she was. "No, he was really sweet about it," Rinoa laughed as Quistis rose. "It was all I could ever hope for in a proposal. It was wonderful."

The four were standing together and in the middle of Rinoa's small living room in a tight circle. Dee smiled," I didn't think the King of Cold could be romantic."

Rinoa smirked," There's a lot of things that Squall Leonhart can do that no one would believe."

The room erupted in laughter.

* * *

--

Irvine and Seifer had retreated to the cafeteria for lunch after seeing Squall on the elevator and were followed closely by a not-quite-awake Zell. The three were sitting at a small table near the entrance of the cafeteria. All three had at one time had full plates of breakfast food but now looked as if there had never been food there to begin with.

"Well, I'm sure the ladies in the back will be glad that y'all were courteous enough to clean your plates up after yourselves," a delicate hand lay across Seifer's shoulder.

He looked up to see his girlfriend standing over him," Oh, there you are, honey! No see, this is your plate. I ate mine. Aren't you proud of me?" Quistis took the plate with a look of feigned gratitude and kissed Seifer on the forehead. "Thanks, dear," she cooned sweetly.

Irvine and Zell looked around as Rinoa took her place at the table between them. Dee and Selphie had made a mad dash for the line and were eagerly awaiting their food. "Damn, that girl can eat for such a little thing," Irvine mumbled.

Zell, who had now fully joined the group mentally, smiled," It's good for a girl to have a good appetite, don'tcha think?" Irvine nodded in agreement and looked at Rinoa," You're not hungry?"

Rinoa nodded," Yeah, but I'm gonna grab something and go eat with Squall."

Seifer looked across the table," So lemme see it."

Rinoa looked at him quizzically but the smile that she attempted to hide gave her away," See what, Seifer?"

Irvine grabbed Rinoa's hand that was clasped in the other one in her lap. He studied her finger and the rock on it for a moment and whistled," Spared no expense, huh?"

Seifer and Zell leaned across the table and nodded in unison. "Go ahead, Squall. Spend that money."

Irvine patted Rinoa's hand and returned it to its original position," Congrats. I know you'll be happy together. You both deserve it."

Zell nodded," Yeah, you definitely deserve this." Seifer nodded too, his silent agreement. Though he had been in their group for while, he still felt awkward at moments like this. Although sometimes, a silent nod was worth more than words. Rinoa smiled at the three of them. " I take it Squall found you in the hall, right?"

Irvine shook his head," Close, we jumped him in the elevator. Well, Seifer and I did. Zell was still out like a light."

"So what if I was sleeping?" Zell said defensively.

"Nothing bad about that," Seifer said as Quistis leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. "We don't wanna see you when you first wake up if you look this bad now."

If looks could kill, Seifer would have dropped dead," Must be why you go to bed so early, huh Seifer?"

Seifer opened his mouth to reply and from the look on his face it wasn't going to be nice. Rinoa stood, slapping her hands down on the table," Well, I will see you nice people later. I have a fiancée to go feed."

With that, Rinoa walked over to the 'order here' segment of the bar and spoke to the woman behind it who quickly walked away and returned hastily with a plastic bag with what looked to be a carry-out box inside. She smiled and thanked the woman, waving to her friends as she walked out the door.

"He really did it," Irvine mumbled. " I can't believe it."

"You better," Seifer replied. " 'Cause no doubt you'll be there to witness it."

"I dunno, man. Seems too good to be true…" Irvine said, staring after Rinoa who had disappeared from sight.

_**End Act III**_

Welp, welp, welp! Whacha think? Don't ferget to review and lemme know what you think! And don't worry, I plan to finish my other fic too! Check out "Unreachable" 'cause I'll b updating that one soon! Until then, peace, love, and a big OOH-RAH!


	4. Act IV

Hello all! Here is my Thanksgiving treat to y'all and I really hope you guys enjoy it! And to my lovely reviewers…

Dare to dream- I'm glad you're enjoying it! Keep reading and reviewing, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Lady Pyrefly- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying me fic!

Luis- I'm going to try and update 'Unreachable' soon but I have something else I'm working on besides this so it's kinda hard. I'mma try though! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic!

Moonlight Star Phoenix- I'm a MASSIVE Squinoa fan (As you can tell.) and as for them leaving Garden, it's sad I know but trust me, all turns out well in the end. ;) Just trust me, 'kay?

* * *

'All Falls Down'

Act IV

"Guess who brought their loving stud breakfast?" A familiar voice sang as the large oak door to his office opened. Squall suppressed a smile and quickly brought a single finger to his lips, cradling the telephone on his shoulder.

"So I should be expecting an official fax from your organization soon, correct sir?" he said into the mouthpiece as Rinoa cringed slightly, realizing he was on the phone.

"Correct, sir… It will become our top priority, have no doubts. Thank you, sir." He placed the phone down onto the receiver.

"I'm so sorry, Squall. I shouldn't have…" she was cut off by Squall shaking his head and laughing.

"Rin, it's ok. Don't worry about, besides, didn't you say something about breakfast?" he said eyeing the plastic bag she was holding.

Rinoa smiled and placed the bag onto his desk, reaching into it to reveal a small Styrofoam container. Upon opening it, he was greeted by the warm scent of bacon, scrambled eggs, and a biscuit. Unlike most cafeteria food, Garden's cafeteria staff made food like Squall imagined a home cooked meal would taste like. But seeing as he had never really had a home cooked meal, he couldn't exactly claim what he thought was exactly true. He looked at Rinoa with a look of pure gratitude," When was the last time I told you how much you mean to me?"

Rinoa looked towards the ceiling with a hand on her hip and a finger to her chin in thought. "Well, I think it hasn't been that long. But I still think you should remind me every once and a while because you know I have a bad memory."

Squall swallowed his bacon," Bad memory? Since when have you had a bad memory?" He looked at her though squinted, accusing eyes that seemed to come alive with a playful nature Rinoa had never seen in Squall before the whole Ultimecia ordeal. Now, it seemed to be a common occurrence. A suddenly, she fell in love with him all over again.

"Since for always," she taunted, looking straight at him," Shows how much you know about me." She crossed her arms tightly in front of her and turned her nose up to Squall. After a moment of complete silence between the two, Rinoa looked at him uneasily. "Who are you again?"

Squall was never the person to show how he felt. But he couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at the woman's statement. "You're good, Rin." He picked up the plastic fork lying beside his makeshift plate and impaled some pieces of eggs.

Rinoa laughed and collapsed into the chair before his desk, sighing," So, who was that on the phone anyway?"

"That was the leader of a resistance group out in Deiling. It seems as though the city has gone to ruin since the death of Vinzer and Ultimecia's vacation of Edea. The Galbadian Army has been disbanded and the new President of Deiling, Mr. Vancover, wants our help in reinstating order in the city," Squall explained, he watched Rinoa for any sign of apprehension towards the mention of her home town, but surprisingly, she held her bearings.

"Why don't they ask the General to take charge?" she asked.

"Well, here's the thing about that. They did ask General Caraway for help but he said that he didn't approve of the new President and basically told the President he would have to find other sources of help in regaining order because he certainly wasn't going to be it. So, Mr. Vancover called the only other people he thought capable of such a job."

"But this isn't going to be an in and out job, this is invade and occupy. SeeDs are going to have to stay in Deiling until complete order is restored," Rinoa said, leaning forward to absorb any more of the information Squall had to offer.

Squall nodded and continued eating," Yes. My plan is to gather people within the city as volunteers for a military since the Galbadian Army is so screwed up. We stay long enough to train them and once they're on their feet, we pull out. Our SeeDs should be there no longer two to three months."

Rinoa nodded. She looked as though she had another question for him but seemed afraid to ask. As Squall finished the last bit of his eggs, the question Rinoa was fighting not to ask suddenly came to him. "And I was hoping this could be our mission."

Rinoa nodded but it seemed as though something still ate at her, some question nagged at her like a bad stepmother to be answered. "It's just…" she began but paused to think her question through thoroughly before she asked him. "I don't understand. Why can't you just quit? Or maybe even retire or something? I mean, you can throw some of your weight around. I know you can. You save the entire planet from a world of doom, despair, and damnation and you tell me you can't change a rule about marrying someone with Garden? It doesn't add up, Squall."

Squall's eyes fell half way through her statement. His heart knew the answers but his pride, the ever dominate portion of his soul, would shatter into millions of unrecognizable pieces if he said the words aloud. Because that would make them true. His pride would not let him walk away from this place that easily. He would have to trick himself into leaving. He would get in the car when his part of the mission was through and drive the opposite direction of Balamb Garden, telling himself the whole while that he'd go back one day and that Garden didn't really need him. Quistis would do a fine job of running the facility if she managed to keep Seifer away from the controls. He had no doubts in the people that would take his place, what he doubted was his ability to turn away from the only home he'd ever known like it didn't exist, and walk away.

Squall cleared his throat, the eggs making their way back up his throat out of self loathing for not telling Rinoa the truth. The war his heart and his pride were having inside raged unceasingly," The Council isn't going to change a few rules just because of what happened. That's all over and done with now, we got our preferential treatment and now it's over. It doesn't matter to people anymore, Rin. We're nobodies again, we're on our own. If you want to get married, we have to leave but if you feel that you have more desire to stay here, please tell me now." Squall choked back the ever rising eggs as the last sentence slipped from his lips before he realized what he'd said. He stared down at his desk, awaiting a fury of harsh words from Rinoa about how he should know that she loves him, that he should know that he was everything to her and nothing else but her friends mattered.

But the words never came. Instead, she stood. His eyes followed her movements as she walked towards him, around the desk. She sat herself on top of his desk, directly in front of him, the whole while never looking away from the deep blue eyes that she'd grown to know so well. As she sat on the desk, she smiled.

"Now Squall Leonhart. I'm going to let you guess which is more important to me, you or Garden and if you get it wrong, you're in for a world of hurt, mister. But before you answer, may I please give you a hint?" Without waiting for an answer, she leaned forward and kissed him. It was long and slow and Squall swore he had melted onto the floor and was now a puddle form of his original self. She pulled away, smiling. "And if you get it wrong after that hint, I'm so taking you out to the training center and letting the Grats have their way with you."

Squall laughed softly, slowly recovering from the kiss. Since when could such a simple action be filled with so much emotion and feeling? Were the hell did she learn how to do that?

"Well, I'll give you a little time to think. I have a class I need to attend," she said, glancing at the clock on Squall's desk. She slid off and kissed Squall quickly before making her way to the door.

"Hey wait, what do I get if I get the answer right?" he called to her, just before she opened the door.

She smiled and Squall caught the wild look in her eye," I can only promise your wildest fantasies." She slid out the door, leaving Squall with thoughts that couldn't nor shouldn't be expressed in words. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

I know it's kinda short but don't worry. I'll be updating soon! So, please review and let me know what you think of my fic! I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and please, think of me at around 2:00 AM when I'm standing out front of Best Buy in Jackson Friday morning, waiting until they open at 6:00 AM for the day after Thanksgiving sales. . I enjoy it though! Until next time, peace, love, and a big OOH-RAH!


	5. Act V

A/N: Hey there y'all! I hope that everyone has had a great holiday season! I know I have because guess what everybody… I have my own laptop now! Yes, I have my very own laptop and I'm typing up my very first chapter on it! I'm so overwhelmed with excitement I can barely contain myself! Onward!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I didn't get the rights to the Final Fantasy characters…: sigh:

All Falls Down

Act V

Rinoa sighed and drummed the tip of her pen on her desk. Selphie sat next to her and sighed heavily, agreeing with Rinoa in a non-verbal way. Selphie looked at her lazily out of the corner of her eye, sighing again. The instructor at the front of the class droned on and on about something or another, neither of them really caring. Selphie was a wiz-kid, a nerd ever since the Ultimecia incident. She had turned her interests away from the battle field and had become a peace keeper. A pacifist of sorts, she had started studying ways to solve wars diplomatically. She told everyone that the incident that had almost killed her had 'had a profound and deeply terrifying affect on her and that she wanted to one day she a world without war, where peace roamed free like wild chocobos'. Rinoa tended to believe that the way Selphie had acted so willingly towards battle had kind of scared her, enough so that she didn't want to do it anymore. And Squall had been completely agreed with her, creating a special position just for her. She was now, Selphie 'Garden's First Peacekeeping Director'. Selphie had flipped out when she got it.

The instructor suddenly looked at her watch, "Okay class. That'll do it for today. See you all next time and I hope we can have a much more exhilarating conversation about the Trabian species of trees that were just discovered. Until next time everyone."

The two grabbed their things and left, hoping the boring discussion was no more than just a bad dream and not what their exam was on next week. The intercom overhead sounded a chime that Rinoa had grown rather used to hearing. "Would the Headmaster's advisors please report to his office, I repeat, would the Headmaster's advisors please report to his office." The chime went off again and Selphie looked at Rinoa. "Rin, are you guys leaving this soon?"

Rinoa nodded and looked at her friend with loving eyes, "But that doesn't mean you can't come visit us or anything. I'm sure you guys could take a vacation or something. We'll still be friends, don't worry."

They boarded the elevator and took the short ride up in silence. The elevator dinged and came to a stop, the doors opening wide to a pair of large oak doors. Rinoa's feet became heavy and it was then she realized something wasn't right about this. There was something Squall wasn't telling her and this mission… She shuddered as a chill ran through her veins. This mission was wrong, all wrong. They shouldn't be going, they shouldn't be doing this.

"Rinoa, are you okay? What's wrong?" Selphie's voice was panicked.

Rinoa smiled at her, "Fine, I'm fine."

Selphie wrapped a tight arm around hers and they walked through the doors together.

* * *

"First off, I'm sure all of you have heard the announcement and seen the rock but just to make it official, yes, Rinoa and I are getting married." Squall's voice was light, he was even smiling. He looked at Rinoa and she saw more than she ever thought possible. Love, passion, and the heat she'd seen the night before. She fought back a shiver but the smile of knowing that there would be so many nights like it and so many filled with love, slipped out. 

"Ok, this is it. I told all of you what would happen if she said yes. Quistis, you'll be in charge. Don't make any official statements or anything, just slip into my place. Laguna is taking care of the Board for us so they won't be a problem." Rinoa's jaw almost hit the floor. Squall glanced at her, catching her surprise and smiled, "Yes Rin, I even went to the length of calling Lagu… My father and asking him for his help. I want this to go as well as it possibly can. Everything is under the table though, nothing can go public more so than it needs to be or at least until Rin and I can get where we're going."

Rinoa raised her hand, "And where may that be, fearless leader?"

Squall shot a playful smile her way, "That is yet to be revealed, especially to you." Rinoa frowned and Squall continued issuing orders, "Quistis, I've shown you where all of the paperwork is, you have everything you need. If there is something I've forgotten, go to Balamb and use the payphone to get in touch with me. I don't want any traced calls."

Quistis nodded her look and posture completely professional. Rinoa smiled, knowing she had to be jumping for joy inside of herself.

Squall turned to Selphie, "Keep your position in the Garden staff. You're on to something and Quistis needs all the help she can get." He turned to Irvine, "You're second in charge. Anything happens to Quistis or she leaves, you run this place. I have faith in you, Irvine. You can do this." Selphie, who sat in his lap, wrapped her arms around is neck and nuzzled against him. "You can do anything, Irvy. I know you can do this." The look of insecurity that Irvine had had faded as the words fell from Selphie's lips. He smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "If you say so, babe."

"Zell, you're now the first ever Martial Arts instructor of Balamb Garden. We may have a director of peacekeeping but peace is a long way off and we still need to teach them how to fight. They have to be able to defend themselves. You are in charge of teaching them all marital arts."

Zell nodded, "Gotcha boss. We'll be ready should need be."

Finally, he turned to the man he had despised for as long as anyone could remember but quite, possibly, one of the people he trusted most. "Seifer, you're the only authorized Gunblade instructor now. You will be the one teaching these kids how to fight with them, you choose who you think is right to wield them. You will train the instructors that go to other Gardens and train their cadets."

Seifer nodded and silent respect hung in the air that gave Rinoa the goose bumps. Squall nodded back and looked around the room again. "With that said, our mission has come in. The lack of government in Deiling has finally gotten out of control. Mr. Vancover, the 'new President' needs our help. The General won't help, he doesn't agree with the new government. Vancover wants us to go in, reinstate the government and start him up with a new military to help him get everything under control once we get out. Rinoa and I will stay for a while, helping everyone get set up and getting ready to hand over authority positions to you guys. As soon as everything is settled, Rinoa and I slip out the back; no one knows we're gone."

Rinoa was torn with that statement. She wanted nothing more than to go as far away from all this as she could. Especially if she went with Squall. But she couldn't just leave her friends behind like this, could she?

"Any questions?" Squall asked.

"When do we leave?" Irvine said instantly with a confident tone.

"We can either leave tomorrow or the day after. The decision is up to you guys," Squall said, shifting his weight from where he was leaning against his desk.

All the eyes in the room shifted to one another. After a moment, Selphie spoke in a voice that didn't seem to belong to her, "I think Rinoa or Squall should choose. They'll be the ones who won't be coming back. Do you want two more nights or just one?" All eyes shot to them.

Squall turned to Rinoa and all she had to do was nod. Squall looked at the rest of them and answered, "Tomorrow."

"That shit still freaks me out…" Seifer commented, shivering slightly. The room laughed but the tension and sorrow was harder to fight off than that. Again, Squall looked to Rinoa and she gave him a reassuring nod as if to tell him 'yes, I'm sure'. He sighed and any tension that had built up inside of him drifted away and before either knew what was happening, they were standing in the middle of a field of wildflowers, the one by the orphanage where they had made their infamous promise.

Rinoa smiled at Squall and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. She breathed him in and felt his arms wrap around her. In that moment she knew she was completely safe and whatever doubts she had flew with the wind that softly blew her hair.

"I wonder if Edea could do this. Create a illusion like this, when the whole world's falling down around us, you somehow manage to create a paradise," Squall looked around at the vast field of pinks, purples, and yellows around them.

Rinoa laughed, "Love can do some pretty crazy things, with a little magic, it can do so much more."

Squall looked down at her and they stood there for an eternity, looking into one another's eyes.

Rinoa blinked hard and the world suddenly became real again. They were standing his office discussing what was to be done. Squall blinked hard and rubbed his eyes, laughing.

"Aw, you guys did it again, didn't you? That's so not fair!" Selphie exclaimed.

Rinoa laughed and snuck a glance at Squall and fell in love all over again.

A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long but I get a long weekend for Mardi Gras and hopefully I'll get a chappie up for each month I've missed. That's three for you people who can't count because you know there are three kinds of people in this world, people who can count and people who can't. Until then, peace, love, and a big OOH-RAH!


	6. Act VI

Wut up ever buddy! Sorry for the delay! Here it is, the re-written chapter! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or anything that goes with it. But, if even for just a moment, I own your attention and that's good enough for me.

Act VI

All Falls Down

Rinoa walked across her small dorm room, from the dresser to the bed. It was hard to imagine never coming back to this place again. She'd grown used to the rules that hadn't been all too appealing when she first got here. Now it was her life. She found comfort in the thought that she was going away with Squall. The thought of him made her smile, the thought of them living together, really living together, was just too wonderful to imagine. It would be so wonderful for them to wake up in each other's arms; she placed the clothes down into the bottom of her suitcase, smoothing them with a shaky hand. It seemed all too good to be true. She crossed the room again to her dresser, deep in thought. Where did Squall plan to go? How was Laguna going to help them with the Board of Headmasters? How would they react when Squall didn't show up and Quistis did? Would Garden be okay with its new leader?

"You are okay with this, aren't you?" Squall's voice yanked her from her thoughts as her head snapped towards his voice.

She laughed at herself for being so jumpy, "Of course, Squall. I can't think of anything I want more." She turned towards him. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the threshold. The brightness of the hallway contrasted with the dim lights of her dorm and gave him the appearance of having an aura around him. She smiled, reassuring him again, "I'm positive, Squall. I'm just getting butterflies. It's all normal."

A concerned look flashed across Squall's face, "Maybe we should wait. Go the day after tomorrow instead. Maybe this is just too much. Maybe…" Rinoa had moved directly in front of him and gently placed a hand on his chest.

"Squall, if you're ever going to trust me, do it now. I honestly cannot wait to go. I love it here don't get me wrong, but a life with you is worth more than anything money can buy and worth more than all the money on this planet combined," she stood on her tip-toes and kissed him softly. She felt him melt and let out a light laugh.

"If you say so, Rin," he'd closed his eyes to take in her kiss. As her lips left his, he leaned forward the slightest bit to catch them again.

Rinoa patted his chest and pulled away again, "Shouldn't you be packing, dear?"

"I'm packed. I came by here to see if you needed help because you know that short term memory loss thing may be a problem in situations like this," a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and as much as he tried to suppress it and go along with the act, it came out when Rinoa playfully slapped him on the arm.

"I DON'T have short term memory loss, Bob," she told him, turning back to her packing. Squall rolled his eyes and started to step inside the room when Rinoa pointed an accusing finger at him without ever looking up from her suitcase. "Not another step there, Bob. I don't know you that well, buddy so just get your mind out of the gutter and leave."

"Rinoa, okay, I get it. You can stop calling me Bob," Squall entered the room anyway, closing the door behind him.

Rinoa looked up at that, a playful look on her face. "Look, Bob. Get out of my room before I call the headmaster, he IS my fiancé you know." She backed her self up against the wall, pointing towards the door as he got closer and closer.

He pinned her against the wall and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, Rinoa smiled, "Wow, Bob. You kiss a lot better than he does."

Squall scoffed, "Oh woman please, I'll show you how well the headmaster can kiss." He grabbed her butt and picked her up.

Rinoa laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you, Squall. I've never been happier." Squall laughed and nodded, "I love you too, Rinoa."

((Scene Change))

Around 3 A.M. the next morning, Squall awoke to his alarm clock screaming at him. He moaned and hit the obnoxious thing to turn it off. He sighed and got out of bed and into the shower, he only needed a quick one because before long they'd be leaving. He couldn't help himself from smiling at that thought. He'd actually asked Rinoa to marry him, to run away with him. She loved him and right now, that was all that mattered in the world. He took a quick, warm shower, dried off and got dressed in the outfit that became world famous thanks to the Ultimecia ordeal. He walked into the small living room in his dorm and pulled on his bomber jacket and boots. Grabbing his cellphone off of the coffee table and a small black duffel bag off of the floor, he looked around the dorm one last time.

"I'm not the only one sad we're leaving, am I?" Rinoa's voice came from outside his open door. He turned off the light and joined her in the hall. "Sad, no. More like glad. This place is full of bad memories," he laughed as she hit him in the arm.

"That is NOT what you were saying the other night," she joked. They walked down the hall arm in arm until they reached the garage. Irvine, holding a sleeping Selphie, a very tired Zell, a ready-for-anything Quistis and Seifer were all waiting for them, standing beside the vehicle that would take them to the train station in Balamb. Seifer twirled the keys around his finger before throwing them to Squall, who caught them effortlessly.

"Page 45, 3rd paragraph, line 14, highest rank always drives," Seifer recited. Rinoa smiled, wondering if it had taken him all night to memorize that or not. Squall nodded and threw his bag along with the rolling bag and two duffel bags Rinoa had with her into the back of the wehicle. Squall sighed as he stood before his friends one more time.

"Everyone knows what they have to do. If all goes well, Rinoa and I will be gone before the day after tomorrow but we won't leave until everything is set up. Is everyone clear on their duties after they get back?" Squall asked. Everyone, who was awake, nodded. Squall looked around at everyone again. "Let's go everybody."

Everyone climbed into the car (Or was placed into the car.) and got ready for the ride to Balamb.

Scene Change

They arrived at Balamb at 4:30 that morning and boarded the train for Deling. It would take a good 3 hours to get there even if they were on a train. Once they were in their car, they all stretched out on the couches lining it and fell alseep.

"We will be arriving in Deling shortly. Please collect your belongings so you can exit the train as quickly as possible," the announcer came over the intercom in a stressed tone. Everyone in the SeeD car stirred and gathered up their things. One by one they filed out of the car and stood at the door like the staff on the train directed them to.

"I get the feeling they don't want to stay here too long, don't you?" Seifer snapped as a staff member pushed him roughly against the wall, telling him, "ALONG THE WALL, SIR." They were herded off of the train and had not taken two steps out of the door when everyone dropped what they were holding. They stood on the same steps they had when they had first come to the sity almost two years ago. But it had changed in every way possible. Rinoa looked around, pure horror on her face. Buildings lie in shambles, some burning on their foundations. Trees were bare of their leaves having lost those to rampant fires too. Selphie reached out and touched her friends arm in an attempt to comfort her, "Rin…"

Rinoa took a few steps slowly, absorbing the sheer destruction around her. Squall followed her closely, Mr. Vancover had stressed the fact that these people were extremely unpredixtable. She turned her head slowly to take it all in. The streets were ruined, they were cracked and buckled with no straight piece in sight. The beautiful city were her mother had once lived was now a disaster area. Squall let her get a few more steps away, he wanted to give her some space to breath it would only take time for her to break down emotionally. Irvine whistled behind them and Squall turned to see his friends behind him taking in the destruction as well.

"We have a lot of …" It was hard to tell who heard it first but one thing was for sure, they all heard it. The sound of two bullets tearing through the air at an extremely high rate of speed. Everyone behind Squall hit the ground, Squall himself lunged for Rinoa. He suddenly felt a searing pain in his shoulder but ignored it as he lunged for his future wife, only to find that the front of her blue outfit was soaked in crimson blood.

A/N: I like this one a little better than my other one, it REALLY bothered me to write like that. So, here it is, no longer a cliff hanger but just as good I hope. Don't forget to review! Lates peeps!


	7. Act VII

All Falls Down

Act VII

The monotonous beeping of the monitor echoed through the infirmary and panged Squall with another wave of guilt. He sat alone in the darkened infirmary, gently running his fingers across Rinoa's hand. She nearly blended in with the sheets that covered her from the waist down. He rubbed his temple with his free hand and sighed. He could kill himself, _should _kill himself. This was all his fault, no way around it. He had wanted the one last mission, he had talked her into doing this one last mission… And now she was lying here, cold and still as death. She didn't laugh, didn't speak, didn't so much as move. She'd been in a coma ever since they'd air lifted her back to Balamb from Deling General Hospital. Tears stung at Squall's eyes as he remembered the minutes after he heard the shot.

_Rinoa crumbled into his arms, crimson blood covering the front of her blue shirt. Her deep brown eyes looked up at him filled with sheer terror. She grabbed his jacket with a death grip, "Squall…" Her breaths came in short quick gasps._

"_Dammit, someone get an ambulance!" Squall roared, looking around at the shocked group. Irvine sprinted away as Seifer kneeled opposite of him, beside Rinoa. Squall looked back down at Rinoa and smoothed her hair away from her face. Hyne, he was shaking. "You're going to be fine. I promise, ok?" Seifer placed two fingers to her neck, looking for her pulse. "Squall, she's going into shock. We have to get her to a hospital, fast."_

_He looked down into those brown eyes again, filled with a terror he couldn't comprehend. He felt the tears run down his face but everything else was numb. "Hyne, Rinoa I'm so sorry. You'll be ok, I promise. We'll get the best doctors, you're going to make it, ok? Do you hear me?" Rinoa nodded and gasped again. Sirens wailed in the distance, he heard Selphie and Quistis sob behind him, Irvine and Zell lead them away from the scene while Seifer and Squall both shed their undershirts to use to try and stop the bleeding. _

_After what had seemed to be an eternity, the ambulances arrived and loaded her in. Squall and Seifer rode with her with the rest in a cab behind them. As they sped through the streets, Squall heard the most terrifying thing he'd ever heard. _

"_We're losing her!"_

_Rinoa had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped with it. They began CPR and used the shock paddles to get her heart beating again. He felt nothing, he was completely numb. He was feeling too much pain to feel anything. Finally her heart beat came back and she began breathing again, Squall let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in. It was the most terrifying ten minutes of his life. After arriving at the hospital, they'd rushed her into surgery. After four hours, the doctor finally appeared and told them all that Rinoa had lost a lot of blood but that the surgery had gone well. She'd have to be placed into a drug induced coma until they were sure she could breathe without the tube in her throat. _

_That had been a week ago. _

Here he sat, he couldn't remember the last time he ate, last time he slept more than just a few minutes or spoke more than two words. He was pretty sure shit looked better than he did. He placed his forehead down on the bed and closed his eyes.

_Rinoa, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have asked you on that mission. This was all my stupid pride and look what has gone and happened. Please, come back to me. Please. I…I love you, Rin. _He felt helpless, weak and he hated it more than anything, more than he hated himself. His mind raged, there must be something he could do. He fought the urge to throw the chair he was sitting in across the room, knowing from experience that would only get him into trouble with Dr. Kadowaki. He'd done that the second day he'd been back when the doctors that had come from Esthar had told him there was nothing else that could be done. Dr. Kadowaki would've thrown him out of the infirmary had it not been for the current situation. Headmaster Cid had shown up with them, along with Laguna and Ellone. They were staying in dorms here at Garden until… Until what? Squall sighed, until she woke up? Until she got better? Until everyone gave up on her and she… Died? He exhaled sharply; he'd had this argument with himself before. HE wasn't giving up, HE wasn't pulling any damn plugs until she was awake and better. She was going to get better, no matter what anyone said. Dammit.

A light knock came at the door, outside was Irvine holding what looked like two cups of coffee. He opened the door and handed one of the foam cups to Squall. "Thought you might want this." Squall nodded his thanks and took a sip of the hot liquid. It scalded his throat all the way down, he closed his eyes against the pain, knowing that he deserved it.

"You should go get some sleep or something, Squall. You've been done here for days, when is the last time you took a decent shower? I'll stay here, just keep your phone close and I'll call you if anything happens. You can definitely trust me, man. Go." Irvine told his friend, hoping it would get though to him.

Squall looked out at the moon, not really noticing it but looking at it all the same. It cast an almost eerie glow on Rinoa's skin, making her look even more pale. He sighed. His mind told his body to listen to Irvine and get out of the chair but it was like his body refused to listen. It was like he was fused to the chair and couldn't move. Irvine had sat in a metal chair identical to Squall's on the other side of Rinoa's bed. "30 minutes, Squall. Take shower and get something to eat, you can even bring it back here and eat. But damn Squall, when she does wake up you aren't going to be here because you're starving yourself. I know Rinoa means a lot to you, hell, she's like a sister to the rest of us. But I promise, if you leave for 30 minutes, she'll still be here."

Squall reluctantly pulled himself out of his chair and nodded. "30 minutes." He took another long slug of his coffee and blinked back the water in his eyes from the heat burning the tissue of his throat raw. He put a hand on the doorknob and looked back at her motionless body on the bed. "Is est quis venio ut is totus cado super," he whispered, not sure where the words came from. But somehow, he heard Rinoa's voice, whispering the words back to him.

_Yes Squall, this is what happens when it all falls down._

A/N: The translation is rough but that's what it means. This story is almost over! Be sure to read and review and watch out for my update on my other story 'Unreachable'.


	8. Act VIII

Act VIII

All Falls Down

Squall walked away from the infirmary, placing both hands interlocked behind his head. He sighed heavily as he concentrated only on placing one foot in front of the other and getting to his dorm. He didn't want to think about anything, especially how much of a screw up he was. He'd talked Rinoa into going on that mission and for what? His own stupid pride. He didn't just want to turn in his resignation and leave; he wanted to give it everything he had one last time so that he could feel like, just one more time, that he actually had a place in this world. So he could do what he had grown up learning how to do just one more time. Just one more time… He'd like to hear Rinoa laugh. He was mentally thrown back to the time when Rinoa had been in her coma after Ultimecia had possessed her. He'd wanted to hear her laugh then too. After hours upon hours of talking to Rinoa, he had finally accepted the fact that there was nothing he could've done about that incident. He couldn't stop it, it was out of his control.

But dammit, he'd had complete control over this. He _let _this happen. Now, no one knew if she was going to make it or not and it was all his fault. _All his fault._

It felt like someone had taken hold of his insides and were running them through a shredder. The realization still sucked the breath from his lungs, took the sight from his eyes, made him so dizzy and sick with guilt that he had to put his back to the wall and stop for a moment. His head spun and he felt the pain gather at the back of his closed eyelids again. Dammit, he'd cried more this week than he ever had in his entire life. He didn't think he _could _cry anymore.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He wanted nothing more than to lose himself in the guilt, run with it were no one else would ever get hurt because of him, back somewhere were he was alone. But he knew Rinoa needed him and he'd be dammed if he let her down again. He took another deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, looking around to make sure no one had seen his episode. It was late and there wasn't anyone around so he continued to his dorm, wanting only a cold shower then to go back to her side. It was the only place he wanted to be, not that he deserved to be there. He slipped the key into the slot and entered his room, throwing his jacket onto the bed. He didn't turn on any lights, even as he entered the bathroom and turned on the water for his shower. He undressed and let the cold water hit him like a hammer to the chest.

Once he finished, he got out and put on a pair of black sweatpants, bearing the Garden emblem, over his boxers along with a white undershirt. He walked out of the bathroom and his gaze fell onto his bed. In his mind's eye he could see the two of them that morning that seemed to be an eternity in the past, talking. He could see Rinoa laughing and admiring the ring he had given her the night before, the one that he had taken a good long time in looking for and a good long time in working up the nerve to give to her. He missed her voice, he missed her smile, and he missed her eyes, so full of life and love… For him. He felt the tears come again but this time, he didn't fight them. He let them come and fall silently down his cheeks as he watched the silent movie in his head. To think he'd been so happy just over a week ago and now he was at the lowest point he had ever been. He walked towards the door and away from the image. He walked heavily back towards the infirmary, not wanting his mind to wander but letting it all the same. When Rinoa got better, they'd do what she wanted. If she wanted to stay, he'd find a way to stay. They'd do it her way. She wanted a big ceremony, he'd give it to her. If she still wanted a ceremony at all. It wasn't a matter of _if _she got better but a matter of _if _she still loved him when she did. He wouldn't blame her one bit if she kicked him to the curb faster than he could blink, couldn't exactly say that he didn't want her to. It would be better than living his whole life and knowing that she had been so severely hurt because of him. Every time he would look at her, he would only see the scar that was bound to be there, small and unobtrusive but there all the same. She had been shot. Hurt, even died for a few fleeting moments, all because of him. He found himself stopped at the beginning of the ramp towards the infirmary and suddenly, the veil of guilt and dread opened and poured down on him. Every emotion hit him harder than ever and he found himself rooted to his current spot. He couldn't find the strength to walk those last few steps into the infirmary but wanting to more than anything else in the world. With heavy, forced steps he walked towards the infirmary.

Scene Change

Squall laid a heavy hand on the doorknob and gave it a slow turn. He could still see Irvine's figure in the darkened room, bent over Rinoa. He straightened up quickly and seemed to be wiping his eyes. Squall opened the door completely and entered.

"Your uh…" Irvine cleared his throat, trying to hide the fact that he had indeed been crying, "Your thirty minutes aren't up yet."

Not only had Squall managed to hurt the woman he loved more than life but the people closest to him too. Irvine, Selphie, Quistis, Zell and even Seifer, they were all as upset as the other but none as much so as him. Even Laguna had come down earlier in the week to see her. Her own father, however, had not found the time to come and see his only daughter.

"I know. I'm sorry, I just can't stay away from her. It's an attraction, a magnetic pull. I'm supposed to be by her side, whether she's awake to acknowledge it or not," the words came out barely above a whisper but Irvine heard them clearly in the quiet room, pierced only by the constant beeping of the monitor. "I'm sorry, Irvine. I'm sorry for everything. This is all my fault." He walked over to the chair opposite of him and covered Rinoa's hand with his own. "I might as well take this time to see her because when she gets better, she'll probably never want to speak to me again." He fought hard to keep his voice from breaking on that last part but stuck his chin out defiantly just like he'd seen her do so many times.

Irvine leaned back in his chair with his head tilted back, resting against the top of the back of the chair. "A lot of people don't realize this, Squall, but I'm a firm believer that there are no such things as coincidences. Everything happens for one reason or another and somewhere down the line, it all makes sense. Everyone and everything on this big ball of dirt and water are connected, you just have to really zoom out to see it. This is happening for a reason, I just know it. I don't know why and I don't know when we'll know why, but one day we will. And everything will make better sense because of it."

Squall looked down at the ring on Rinoa's hand. Irvine was right, he had to be. Everything that had happened in his life had been part of some lesson and when he looked back on it now, it all made sense. Why should this be any different?

The two jumped at the sound of the door opening. Dr. Kadowaki appeared in the doorway in a robe and slippers. She nodded to both of them, "Still awake, huh boys?" Squall and Irvine nodded together as Squall grabbed Rinoa's hand a little tighter as if he was afraid the good doctor would take her away from him.

She walked toward the bed and felt Rinoa's pulse just above where Squall's hand was. She checked her watch and remained silent for a moment, making sure Rinoa's pulse was regular then looked over to the machine that broke the silence in the room every few seconds.

"Everything seems to be fine. Her pulse and heart rate are normal, breathing is regular… I just don't understand why she isn't waking up. She lost a lot of blood but…" Dr. Kadowaki trailed off, lost in her own thoughts. After a moment, something seemed to come to her and she walked over to a tray that held some medical utensils. She picked up a syringe that was connected to a small test tube. Dr. Kadowaki pressed the needle to Rinoa's skin and pushed it down into her artery, a rush of blood flooded into the test tube and took only seconds for it to fill. Dr. Kadowaki twisted the tube off of the end of the syringe and removed the needle, studying the blood in it's container. "I'm going to run some tests. I have an idea." With that, she turned and walked into the room adjacent from the ward where Rinoa was and turned on a light, getting right to work. Squall looked across to where Irvine was sitting only to discover that he was now asleep. He had leaned against the wall and was now out cold. Squall placed his head on the bed next to Rinoa's hand and before he knew what was happening, he himself had fallen asleep too.

...the next morning...

"…how are we going to…should we call?...he wouldn't…she wouldn't…Just wait," the words were hazy at first. Broken and undecipherable. Squall picked up his head and looked around, seeing only the blurry outlines of two people standing a few feet away. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and checked to make sure that Rinoa's was still there underneath his. Assured she was still there, Squall looked back at the two figures to realize that it was Seifer and Dr. Kadowaki. Irvine must have left the infirmary when Sefier had showed up at some point in the morning. Thunder rumbled outside and rain pinged against the window pane. It sudenly became obvious to Squall that they had been talking about Rinoa. "What's going on?"

Dr. Kadowaki looked at Seifer as Seifer looked at her. The doctor nodded and exited the room, leaving Squall and his former worst enemy and newest friend, alone. Seifer scrubbed the stubble on his chin with his hand, avoiding Squall's eyes. Squall looked over at Rinoa and held his breath for a moment until the machine beeped again, assuring him that Rinoa was still there.

"Squall, um… There's something you should know," Seifer said cautiously. Squall took note that Seifer was out of arms reach.

"What's wrong with her? Don't tell she's not going to make it. I don't believe that shit. She's going to be okay, dammit whether I'm the only one who believes it or not," Squall spat viciously. He stroked Rinoa's hand as thunder rumbled again outside.

Seifer leaned against the wall and sighed heavily, "Well, it's hard to say Squall. I just…" He let out a hard breath and rubbed his temples.

Squall sat there and stared at him, wondering what in the hell it could be that was so hard to tell him. His fiancee had been shot because of him, she was now in coma that no one but him was sure she'd wake up from, what the hell could be…

_Oh fuck. _Suddenly, Squall knew. Seifer's hesitation suddenly became crystal clear. "You've got to be shitting me."

Seifer had seen the realization in his eyes and could only shake his head. "Dr. Kadowaki was ran some blood tests last night on a hunch and she was right. You're going to be a dad."

Squall couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He couldn't say anything but he really didn't have to because just as the words sank in, Rinoa's heart monitor stopped beeping.

A/N: Ok, so, sorry about the late update. The next chappie is in the works, promise! ;) Read and review and I'll update soon!


	9. Act IX

A/N: Sorry about the long wait for the update. I finished 'Unreachable' last night so if you were waiting for that ending, go check it out. I'm hoping to finish this one today and in the final chapter of this story, I will put a preview of my new fanfic, 'I'm Still Here' so be looking for that. Um… I promise to try and be better about updating with that fic but college makes these things hard sometimes so bear with me. I love you all, lovely readers, and please, please, please review! My other fic had over a thousand hits and only 72 reviews… I sad. :) Onward!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII yet but my boyfriend is getting it for me for Christmas! YaY!

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The steady tone was accompanied by a chorus of alarms and voices. Dr. Kadowaki rushed in with an assistant right on her heels, "What happened?!" she looked from Squall to Seifer as she assessed the patient.

Squall couldn't breathe. Everything became distant and faded, he vision began to tunnel.

Seifer looked at the poor girl on the bed and shook his head, pure horror on his face, "I… uh… I don't know… It was all of a …"

Dr. Kadowaki and her assistant began CPR on Rinoa as she looked at Seifer, "Get him out of here, Seifer!" He stood in shock for a moment then did as he was told, grabbed Squall by the shoulders and directed him towards the door but Squall wouldn't have it.

"What the hell is wrong with her?! What's going on?!" he screamed, Seifer grabbed his shoulders harder, almost in a bear hug.

"There's nothing you can do for her like this, Squall. Let them handle it, they're doctors. They got her, Squall it's going to be fine," Seifer wrestled him through the door and sat him down outside in a chair in the hallway. He walked over and stood in front of the door to the infirmary, taking out his cell phone undoubtedly calling Irvine.

"You need to get down here now. Everyone, she uh…" he looked at Squall and looked away. "Just get here." He closed the phone tightly and sighed. Pressing his back to the door he slid to the ground and looked at Squall again. Squall was sitting in the chair with his head between his knees, fingers interlocked behind his head taking ragged breaths. Fast approaching footsteps were coming from down the hallway and Seifer could only hope that it was Selphie, Quistis, Irvine and Zell. Sure enough they flew around the corner but stopped dead when they saw the two outside of the infirmary. Selphie and Quistis immediately went into silent tears, afraid to ask what was wrong. Irvine and Zell looked from Seifer to Squall and back again. Seifer rose and walked towards his friends, just out of Squall's earshot.

"Her heart stopped beating. Dr. Kadowaki and the assistant are in there are working on her," he said quietly. Quistis led Selphie away, both with tears already streaming down their face. Irvine took off his hat and ran a hand over her hair as Zell sat down along the wall, both of them with sorrow all over their face.

"Is there anything we can do?" Irvine asked quietly, hoping they could but knowing better. Seifer shook his head solemnly.

Seifer solemnly shook his head and glanced over his shoulder only to find Squall in the same state as he was before. Seifer took Irvine out of everyone else's earshot and told him quietly, "She's pregnant, Irvine."

Irvine's eyes went wide and the tears Irvine had tried so hard to hold back from everyone escaped onto his cheeks. "Does Squall know?"

Seifer didn't have to answer that, he simply stepped aside and let Irvine see again Squall's state. He was still slumped over, undoubtedly crying himself but neither of them could tell. Selphie ran past them both and threw her arms around Squall's torso, sobbing against his back, "They can fix her, right? They can make her better, can't they? Dr. Kadowaki can make anything better, I know she can do it and Rinoa's a strong girl! She won't just give up!" She cried harder as Quistis walked over to Seifer and placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. Seifer returned the embrace briefly because the doorknob clicked open, causing everyone to look up.

Dr. Kadowaki shook her head and looked at Squall, "I'm so sorry, I did everything I could Squall. I'm so, so sorry." She broke down in front of all of them, crying as hard as Selphie had been. The steady tone within the room stopped abruptly, sending home the message that they had all never wanted to hear.

Rinoa Heartily was gone as well as the unborn child she held within her.

Squall shook his head defiantly again. "No... No!" He bolted down the hallway away from everyone. Seifer and Irvine went after him, trying to stop him before he did anything too serious to himself or someone else. Squall heard them yelling but his heart and head knew, she was here. She was still here and no one could tell him any different because she was still alive. He knew it. Squall ran as fast as he could to the garage where the holding dock for the Ragnarok was located.

"Squall, stop!"

He ran harder, reaching the open hatch in the back of the ship and reaching the cockpit before anyone else could reach the ship. He fired up the engine of the monstrous machine and carefully maneuvered the ship away from Garden. He pushed the ship to move as fast it could until the landscape became familiar and in the distance he could see a lighthouse on a small peninsula near a small, dilapidated stone structure. He landed the craft as close as he could to the small building and got out of the pilot's seat and ran as fast as he could to the ramp of the ship. Squall walked slowly down the ramp because at the end, stood the one person he wanted to see more than anyone else in the entire universe.

Rinoa looked at him and smiled, "Squall, you found us." In her arms she held a small, cooing infant with steel blue grey eyes and a head of full black hair.

He nodded and rubbed the top of the baby's head gently, "We promised." He kissed her forehead and looked at the beautiful wings that rested against her back. "You're not really gone, are you?"

Rinoa smiled, "I'm never gone, Squall. I'll always be with you."

Squall laughed as the baby grabbed his finger and poked itself in the nose. This made the baby laugh with joy and do it over and over. Rinoa laughed at the sight and smiled at Squall. "Now all you have to do is wake up."

Squall looked at her, startled, "Wake up? I'm not asleep though, Rin."

Rinoa smiled and took a step closer to him, enveloping all three of them within her beautiful wings. Squall wrapped his arms around her gently, minding the baby she was holding and closed his eyes.

And to his great surprise, Squall Leonhart woke up.

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A/N: Yes indeed ladies and gentlemen. Now, honestly, who was surprised with this outcome? More to come gang, sit tight. 


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